Per Viz: Painkillers for Pervasive Application Debugging

Abstract

Debugging pervasive applications is difficult due to their distributed, asynchronous, and dynamic nature. To help ease the debugging process, we propose PerViz, a developer-targeted tool that enhances system visibility through real-time visualizations of system state, semi-automates application restarts and positioning, and enables both real-time and asynchronous collaboration in debugging between developers. Developers interact with PerViz through a web browser, which provides a convenient, centralized location to study and filter aggregated application debugging logs and state. In our experience with using PerViz, we have found its log aggregation and real-time visualizations to be key facilitators for effective debugging.